Darshana Thacker Wendel
Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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Comments (22)
really loved the recipe. Super tasty. requires a bit of planning but well worth it. Froze half to eat another day.
It’s ‘ok’ – but not great, IMO. I will say: the breading is YUM – I popped the soggy mess that was left behind in the microwave at half power for a minute (hoping maybe it would dry up and I could use it), while that did absolutely nothing for it’s usefulness, it was YUM to scoop up and eat! hahah. The ‘cheese’, however, lacks flavor, and definitely lacks cheesy flavor – and even when later combined with the coating, which actually has more nutritional yeast – it just didn’t quite make it to cheesy. I recommend anticipating needing more of the breading coating… I actually only made half the cheese (thinking I’d test before serving my kid, who might like this, but never thinkg it’s a mozz stick… hah), and I used up ALL the breading, and no – not because I ate it! haha That was me trying to make it last longer because I needed more! I do have another faux mozz recipe that I might try to freeze and use to make in the future – because the coating *is* yum. This potato cheese gets an F, though, making the agar a waste of money, given the other recipes didn’t get great reviews, either.
The ingredients are readily available in grocery stores and they’re all used often in the WFPB lifestyle. Steamer inserts for your pots are not necessarily expensive if you buy a simple one. I do not have fancy, just a steamer basket that I bought decades ago. I use it often because steaming greens and veggies allows for maximum vitamin retention. My inexpensive and basic steamer owes me nothing.
These will be really expensive to make—–I have no nutritional yeast, flaxseeds, arrowroot powder or agar in my cupboard—I have no idea where to even get these things!! AND no steamer basket. SO—-already not ‘simple’. But they do sound yummy.
Hi! If you want to try them, consider that cornstarch and arrowroot are great subs for each other, flaxseed is something your body will thank you for (I have 1-2 tablespoons in my smoothie every day and it’s the best way to avoid having to take probiotics, also cheaper than probiotics (flaxseed is a prebiotic that helps maintain your flora in tip top shape), if you’re eating this way and you like cheese, nutritional yeast is going to be super necessary, and you can just pop the potatoes in the microwave (poke them with a fork, wrap in paper towel and nuke for 2 minutes, adding one minute at a time until they give when you squeeze). All that said – while not bad (I’ll be adding comments)… I’m not sure they were worth the cost of the Agar, which is indeed expensive and probably not super useful… (that’s the only ingredient I think is rather a waste on this list! 😉
Those ingredients are pretty much a staple for WFPBNO cooking so they will get plenty of use! lol My small local grocery store didn’t carry them so I had to go to more of a “healthfood” store for them. If you have a Sprouts, Fresh Thyme, Food Co-op, or Whole Foods you can usually get them there 🙂
I love a lot of recipes but not this one. Not flavorful and too much work for how I felt about them: eating them until I’m full and then throwing the rest away. I don’t think the recipe is worth tweaking for me. There are are plenty of others I do really like.
Tara, care to share any of the recipes you do like-I am on the HUNT for good cheese sticks! lol
Best recipe
Is there a substitute for agar powder?
Any possible substitute for the whole wheat bread crumbs for someone who is gluten free? Hmm 🙂 I’d love to try it. Looks delicious
I use gluten free breadcrumbs
Just blend some dried gluten free bread or smashed rice cereal.
What could arrowroot powder be substituted with? I have never heard of that until I discovered FOK.
You can replace arrowroot powder with corn starch.
These are stupid good. A bit of a planning exercise but so so good.
Takes a bit of time, but worth it.
How are we supposed to use the arrowroot powder that is listed in the ingredients
It’s in step 5 of the recipe.
I wanted to love this, unfortunately this didn’t work for me. Too potato-y with a tart flavor. I love FOK, but wouldn’t recommend or make this one again.
Try a milder vinegar–like plain rice vinegar for the wine vinegar, and maybe sub water for the lemon? I always add dijon mustard and miso with nutritional yeast, so I added a teaspoon of each, & no salt
Hmm. But it does sound intriguing. will give it a try and see if I agree with you. Can’t imagine anything with potatoes in the recipe wouldn’t be good.